The world seems to be becoming more dangerous these days. Not so coincidentally, America’s military power continues to decline rapidly.
Before considering how and why, here’s a snapshot of what’s happening around the globe:
1) Russia has annexed Crimea, is dismembering Ukraine, is probing the defenses of Northern Europe, and is again casting a covetous eye on the Baltic…

If you are sailing miles from shore and come upon the rusted prows of sunken ships, you can be sure that water is not that deep and it would be a good idea to change course. Australia is just the latest ship’s prow to warn us away from the treacherous path of green-energy mandates, taxes, and subsidies. Among the others have been Germany, Spain, and Italy.
Earlier this…

Team Obama’s decision late last week to disclose to the press the operational outline for an all-out assault on the Islamic State (aka ISIS)-held Iraqi city of Mosul is a bit of a head scratcher.
It’s like: “Hey, ISIS — please save the date.”
The Pentagon also reportedly told the press that the April-May offensive would include as many as 25,000 Iraqi/Kurdish Peshmerga…

As Russia and other nations around the world flex their “nuclear muscles,” when it comes to the United States, maintaining a credible nuclear force is certainly a tough task. Challenges include: declining research, development and acquisition budgets; uncertain prospects for modernization, and an American public that lacks a clear understanding how nuclear weapons…

Most of us take it on faith that our military is the best in the world. But if asked to state in detail how ready we are to face certain challenges from around the globe, few of us would know how to answer.
How prepared is each branch — Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines — to handle its missions? What is our nuclear capability? What are the threats we face in Asia, the…

Any Wisconsinites starting to wonder whether they are living through The Long Winter as described by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will find no comfort in President Barack Obama's plans to cut the use of our most affordable and reliable sources of energy. Though we may not be relegated to heating our homes by burning twisted bundles of straw, the president's plans to restrict use…

Last year, Congress created two major programs for farmers that, not surprisingly, will shatter Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) cost projections. Taxpayers’ liability for these programs is open-ended because a widely-supported limit on costs to protect taxpayers didn’t make it in the final farm bill. Congress should put an end to this liability immediately.
The 2014…

India and much of the global investment and business communities are highly anticipating the release of the annual budget on Feb. 28, which could turn be one of the most important days in the country’s recent history.
After sweeping to power last year with a parliamentary majority under the promise of boosting languishing economic growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s…

The new Congress has an opportunity to rein in growing spending and debt. They should seize it.
Last year, lawmakers waived the debt limit to March 2015, then remained largely silent about the economic dangers posed by excessive federal spending and debt. The new Congress needs to address these issues with the seriousness they deserve.
In a joint op-ed published the day…

In Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts and North Carolina, the midterm elections proved that candidates shouldn't be afraid to talk about the benefits of trade. They also demonstrated that candidates tempted to employ protectionist scare tactics in their campaigns should think twice.
In Iowa, Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst's campaign argued: "Congressman [Bruce]…

It was a $1.1 trillion budget, yet spending concerns were little more than an afterthought for many senators voting on the "cromnibus." Most of the debate focused on including or eliminating certain policy changes addressed in the bill's "riders." Other budget reforms are necessary to control spending.
At nearly 1,700 pages, the omnibus spending bill funds all government…

Containment has become the easy button for many who want to deal with Washington’s most pressing national security challenges with a light touch. No idea could be more misguided.
What most “strategists” think they know about containment is myth rather than a realistic application of ends, ways and means.
Myth #1: The U.S. practiced containment during the Cold…

These days, every week seems to bring forth another new article by a liberal commentator expressing a powerful combination of fear and outrage that the Supreme Court might “gut” the Affordable Care Act in King v. Burwell. This case, as regular readers of Bench Memos know, holds out the possibility that the Court will find that the law does not authorize federal subsidies…

For many years, Pakistan has been struggling with the idea of granting MFN status to India. In 2011, at least, it seemed that dialogue between the two countries was delivering some progress. MFN status appeared to be a matter of when, not if, and indeed this was candidly communicated to the business community and the media.
The collegial agreement on the Composite…

Predictably, President Barack Obama's 2016 budget request calls for higher taxes to partially finance a $4-trillion spending tsunami. One of the more senseless tax hikes would fall on multinational businesses and is sought to pay for a transportation budget more lavish than necessary.
It's baffling why Obama would propose this tax on businesses' foreign income, both…

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